Any society that values wealth above freedom will lose its freedom, and will ultimately lose its wealth as well
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAMIf it is necessary sometimes to lie to others, it is always despicable to lie to oneself.
More W. Somerset Maugham Quotes
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It is a nuisance that knowledge can only be acquired by hard work.
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I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead.
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Why should you think that beauty, which is the most precious thing in the world, lies like a stone on the beach for the careless passer-by to pick up idly?
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Often the best way to overcome desire is to satisfy it.
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It wasn’t until late in life that I discovered how easy it is to say, ‘I don’t know.’
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It is bad enough to know the past; it would be intolerable to know the future.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM -
There are two good things in life – freedom of thought and freedom of action.
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The well dressed man is he whose clothes you never notice
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It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.
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If nobody spoke unless he had something to say, the human race would very soon lose the use of speech.
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I wish I could make you see how exciting the life of the spirit is and how rich in experience. It’s illimitable. It’s such a happy life. There’s only one thing like it, when you’re up in a plane by yourself, high, high, and only infinity surrounds you.
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To recognize it you must repeat the adventure of the artist. It is a melody that he sings to you, and to hear it again in your own heart you want knowledge and sensitiveness and imagination.
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Throw yourself into the hurly-burly of life. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make, what unhappiness you have to undergo. It is all your material …
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Art is a manifestation of emotion, and emotion speaks a language that all may understand.
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All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary-it’s just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM